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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · cold · ball · bear · mug · roll · lie · face

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mug — a face
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — not warm
  19. face — to confront
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — to come from
  22. roll — a list
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com